M/T Norlys
Panamanian Flag

Updated Aug. 8-2010

To Norlys on the "Ships starting with N" page.


From Tony Cooper's collection.

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for further details; the Commodore's notes are also available for some of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

Norlys is listed as sailing in Convoy HX 198 from Halifax to the U.K. in July-1942. At the end of that month, she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 117*, which originated in Liverpool on July 31 and dispersed Aug. 15. Her destination is given as New York, but her arrival there is not mentioned in Hague's Voyage Record, which indicates she may have stopped at Halifax instead(?). Unfortunately, since this was a Panamanian ship, records from the National Archives of Norway are not available for comparison with A. Hague's entries. Atlantic, Norholm, Solstad, Tai Shan and Villanger are also listed in this convoy. Norlys continued to Curacao and on to Trinidad, and it now looks like she made a voyage to Gibraltar, because A. Hague has included her in Convoy SLG 124 from there to the U.K. This convoy, which had left Gibraltar on Oct. 12, joined up with SL 124 from Freetown on Oct. 14; arrival Liverpool on Oct. 22 - Norlys was bound for Clyde. The following month she shows up in Convoy MKS 1X from Gibraltar to the U.K., subsequently joining Convoy ON 149*, which left Liverpool on Nov. 26 and arrived New York Dec. 12; Norlys joined from Clyde. She had again been in the company of a number of Norwegian ships, namely Evita, Høyanger, Morgenen, N. T. Nielsen Alonso, Vanja and Vinga. A Hague's listing of her subsequent voyages can be found in the Voyage Record (as can be seen, some voyages appear to be missing).

Skipping now to June-1943, when she was in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 245, bound for Clyde, station 34. Together with Bralanta, Chr. Th. Boe, Fagerfjell, Fernwood, Geisha, Harpefjell, Herbrand, Hiram, Idefjord, Maud, Meline, Norlom, O. B. Sørensen, Para, Samuel Bakke, Sandviken, Santos, Skaraas, Skjelbred, Stiklestad, Thorhild, Thorshov and Tungsha, she returned across the Atlantic in Convoy ON 193*, which originated in Liverpool on July 16 and arrived New York July 31, heading back to the U.K. in Convoy HX 251 from New York on Aug. 7, for which Laurits Swenson served as the Commodore Vessel. Acanthus, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts (see HX convoy escorts). Norlys' destination is given as Glasgow and Invergordon, station 25. The following month she's listed, along with California Express, Dageid, Duala, Gefion, Lista, Norholm, Polartank, Skaraas, Trondheim, Vav and Vinga, in Convoy ON 203* to New York (from Liverpool Sept. 22, to New York Oct. 10), serving as Escort Oiler, and according to Arnold Hague, she returned to the U.K. in Convoy HX 263*, which left New York on Oct. 24 and arrived Liverpool Nov. 8, again serving as Escort Oiler for the convoy, which also had Herbrand, Norholm, Villanger, Washington Express and Østhav in its ranks.

Norlys was also used as Escort Oiler in several Arctic convoys. She was in Convoy JW 54A which left Loch Ewe on Nov. 15-1943 with 19 ships, reaching the Kola Inlet on Nov. 24. She returned with Convoy RA 54B from Archangel on Nov. 26, arriving Loch Ewe on Dec. 9, and later joined Convoy JW 55B, leaving Loch Ewe on Dec. 20 with 19 merchant ships, arriving the Kola Inlet on Dec. 30. The Scharnhorst, which had been dispatched to intercept the convoy was sunk by Duke of York during this passage (Dec. 26).

On Febr. 3-1944 Norlys joined Noreg in Convoy RA 56 which arrived Loch Ewe safely on the 11th. She now made another voyage to New York, having sailed in Convoy ON 225*, originating in Liverpool on Febr. 22, arriving New York March 8. Abraham Lincoln (Commodore Vessel), Bralanta, Ferncourt, Haakon Hauan, Lista, Marit II, Montevideo, Skiensfjord and Thorsholm are also listed. (The corvette Buttercup, which was later transferred to the Norwegian flag after the loss of Tunsberg Castle, is named among the escorts). Norlys was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 284 on March 21 (Commodore in Abraham Lincoln), but instead joined the next convoy on March 28, HX 285, subsequently returning with Convoy ON 234*, along with Estrella, Abraham Lincoln, Fagerfjell, Fernmoor, Garonne, Geisha, Kaldfonn, Leiv Eiriksson, Lista, Molda, Petter, Romulus, Samuel Bakke, Skiensfjord, Solfonn, Strinda and Vinland (from Liverpool Apr. 26, to New York May 12). She headed back in the other direction again on May 19 in Convoy HX 292 from New York, and with Brasil, Drammensfjord, Egda, Evita, Fosna, Lista, Minerva, Solfonn, Spinanger and the Panamanian Norbris (Norwegian managers) she later joined the westbound Convoy ON 241*, which started out in Liverpool on June 18 and arrived New York July 2.

A. Hague now has her returning in Convoy HX 301 later that month (Commodore in Reinholt, Vice Commodore in Samuel Bakke), and she went back across the Atlantic again in Convoy ON 250*, which departed Liverpool on Aug. 24, arrived New York Sept. 7 and also included Fridtjof Nansen, Haakon Hauan, Havkong, Molda, Pan Scandia, Samuel Bakke (Commodore Vessel) and Thorshov. On Sept. 13, she's listed in Convoy HX 308 from New York, bound for Falmouth and Southampton (Vice Commodore in Villanger), and the following month we find her, together with Havkong, Idefjord, Morgenen, Pan Scandia and Vanja, in Convoy ON 258* (from Southend Oct. 6, to New York Oct. 24). She was scheduled to return in Convoy HX 318 on Nov. 4, but instead joined the next convoy on Nov. 9, HX 319, for which Villanger served as the Commodore Vessel. Norlys returned to New York with Convoy ON 270, and her last convoy voyage that year was made with Convoy HX 328 from New York, bound for Stanlow. This time, the Commodore was in Brimanger. Further dates and information can be found by following the links.

In Jan.-1945 she's listed, with Brasil, Cypria, Havprins, Tai Shan and Thorhild, in Convoy ON 281*, departing Southend on Jan. 26, arriving New York Febr. 12. On Febr. 18 she's included in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 339, subsequently returning in Convoy ON 289*, which left Southend on March 7 and arrived New York on the 25th and also had Brasil, Dalfonn, Havprins, Høyanger, John Bakke, Molda, Polarsol and the Panamanian Norvinn in its ranks. According to A. Hague Norlys headed back to the U.K. on March 29 in Convoy HX 347*, which arrived Liverpool on Apr. 14, and her last Trans-Atlantic convoy voyage was made with Convoy ON 298*, which left Southend on Apr. 21 and arrived New York May 7. Both these convoys also had several Norwegian ships, namely Brasil, Buenos Aires, Dalfonn, Fenris, Lektor Garbo, Marit II, Roald Amundsen, Sophocles (Commodore Vessel), Sverre Helmersen and Thorsholm in HX 347, and Dalfonn, Fenris, Marit II, Morgenen, Reinholt (Commodore Vessel) and Thorsholm in the ON convoy.

* The ON convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with further info on each, in the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. Note also that the entire HX series will eventually be updated and completed, including the already existing convoys (some have already been updated), but for now, see ships in all HX convoys.

More details on the Norwegian ships mentioned here is available via the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

Related external links:
The Battleship Scharnhorst

Other ships owned by Johan Rasmussen & Co. - Here is the main page.

Back to Norlys on the "Ships starting with N" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan and misc.